ZEE5 to Launch TikTok Rival HiPi in India

New Delhi: Entertainment app ZEE5 on Wednesday announced a short video-sharing platform HiPi in a bid to take on TikTok which is among the 59 Chinese apps banned by India in view of security risk.

ZEE5 said it has partnered with over 300 creators initially to bring curated content on the platform which will be launched "within 30-60 days".

"It is on beta right now. It will be live very shortly. It is undergoing user testing to refine the final nuances of how the application behaves. We are taking feedback from the close groups and making refinement to the product," Rajneel Kumar, Business Head, Expansion projects and Head Products at ZEE5, told IANS.

HiPi will be first available for Android users before rolling out on iOS. The platform will be available within the ZEE5 which is "on a journey to build a super-app".

ZEE5 already has original content, movies, fun kids content, Live TV and news, music and games on the platform.

HiPi will be free for users as it will be an advertisement-driven platform, not subscription-based, Kumar said, adding that all data of users will be stored in the country.

"We have put a lot of emphasis on content moderation in order to build a safe environment," he said.

The verified content creators on the platform will be able to share revenue on the basis of traction of their videos, he said.

HiPi will also have other social media features like the ability to "Follow" and "Like" content, Kumar said.